The Great Gatsby is a 2013 drama film directed by Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, based on a 1925 novel of the same name by the great American novelist F Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald’s novel is best remembered for its hallucinatory portrayal of the Jazz Age through the microcosmic world of glittery opulence, kaleidoscopically enveloping the extravagant-but-hollow way of living that underlines the ethos of the American dream. Fitzgerald’s scurrilous satire on the zeitgeist of the tumultuous 1920s, The Great Gatsby explores several conflicting motifs like love, materialism, sacrifice, self-indulgence, extravagance, idealism, stagnation, upheaval, ostentation, modesty, etc. And Luhrmann’s movie, to its credit, succeeds in capturing the novel’s motifs in essence, if not in totality.
The Great Gatsby presents the tale of a young, enigmatic, seemingly profligate millionaire named Jay Gatsby whose ideals of love come across to be so virtuous and pristine that they seem to be modelled upon none other than Don Quixote himself. The Great Gatsby despite its flaws proves to be an unforgettable cinematic experience for the intelligent viewer. The Great Gatsby, being the quintessential Luhrmann extravaganza, is high on style but fortunately there’s enough substance to keep a keen-eyed viewer interested throughout. Fitzgerald’s masterful storytelling seems to gel quite well with Luhrmann’s showmanship. The manner in which the movie blends elements of drama, suspense, romance and tragedy is indeed exemplary. Simon Duggan’s breathtaking cinematography brings the movie to life. Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Carey Mulligan are brilliant in their respective roles and in that order.
The Great Gatsby is neither a typical Hollywood product nor an art house movie. It is for this reason it is difficult to categorise as a film. And perhaps that’s why it opened to mixed reviews in Cannes early this year. If anything it’s a movie that requires patience and would most definitely satisfy the cravings of the patient lot.